The piece opens looking somewhat like an old-time movie, in black and white. It enables the viewer to run or pause the progress of the work. It describes itself as “Aural and Kinetic Poems for the Computer Screen." Electronic screen patterns are set forth with a message imposed that “The Code Has been broken”--- an announcement that suggests electronic warfare is going on and that a victory is imminent. The first pattern has he quality of a flag, with a blue St. Andrew’s cross and a rectangle of color---the only color visible in this presentation. Iterations of word-like messages follow, with electronic buzzing, beeping and sputtering ---irritating signals. Everything is white on black, suggesting institutional austerity practiced by a government agency or an archaic e-system or minimalism in art. Continuing displays of letters (or fragmented words) follow. Finally, brief, cogent/intelligible messages are displayed: first, the word “echo” followed by the words “red thread” followed by the Latin word “ergo.” “Red thread” ---which suggests a lead into solving a mystery---is spooled onto the screen like a continuous column. It ceases and the words “blue show thru” appear, suggesting a breakthrough. The streaming column reappears, modified in that the wording has incorporated the words blue and show into its vocabulary. This ceases and an array of letters appears with a few words or semi-words in black, highlighted in white. It suggests a Sunday morning newspaper puzzle. Words like “over,” “opinion,” “gainloss” and “algorithm,” “collage,” are highlighted. The display is reversed with black on white letters; some phrases emerge: “the entire position,” “endemic battle collage head basic for…” Streams of cryptic phrases and words appear and reappear, inviting analysis and suggesting intrigue. The irritating buzzing continues. Then each word, one after another, disappears, until finally one word alone remains: “havoc.” The screen goes blank and letters begin again, white on black, in double spaced streams like couplets. New messages appear: “sudden window” “window sudden” shaped into a larger letter A. The tempo picks up with intermittent buzzing and beeping, suggesting heightened urgency. Finally an alarm is set off with a Notice, warning that these programs will repeat themselves (not true) unless the viewer actively intervenes and stops them. This final message suggests the need for a behavioral change.
The work or poem suggests overarching military secrecy and intrigue---continuous and covert---and targeting as well. It’s a moralizing work, challenging readers/viewers to demand change. In reading this I think of Edward Snowden and other “leakers” who were prompted by moral outrage to disclose government secrets and effectively invite our democracy to become actively involved in these activities. This is certainly a modern, relevant message.
The work is done with a retro-look, suggesting the 1980’s, a period of the unprecedented military build-up of the Ronald Reagan era. That may be the inspiring event or development.
Questions: Is this a poem???? Does it resonate as such?
Agency: Is there really no agency as this art-form would suggest? Or is it really saying the viewer has the agency to change the world?
Engl 871 – Endemic Battle Collage by G. Huth.
The piece opens looking somewhat like an old-time movie, in black and white. It enables the viewer to run or pause the progress of the work. It describes itself as “Aural and Kinetic Poems for the Computer Screen." Electronic screen patterns are set forth with a message imposed that “The Code Has been broken”--- an announcement that suggests electronic warfare is going on and that a victory is imminent. The first pattern has he quality of a flag, with a blue St. Andrew’s cross and a rectangle of color---the only color visible in this presentation. Iterations of word-like messages follow, with electronic buzzing, beeping and sputtering ---irritating signals. Everything is white on black, suggesting institutional austerity practiced by a government agency or an archaic e-system or minimalism in art. Continuing displays of letters (or fragmented words) follow. Finally, brief, cogent/intelligible messages are displayed: first, the word “echo” followed by the words “red thread” followed by the Latin word “ergo.” “Red thread” ---which suggests a lead into solving a mystery---is spooled onto the screen like a continuous column. It ceases and the words “blue show thru” appear, suggesting a breakthrough. The streaming column reappears, modified in that the wording has incorporated the words blue and show into its vocabulary. This ceases and an array of letters appears with a few words or semi-words in black, highlighted in white. It suggests a Sunday morning newspaper puzzle. Words like “over,” “opinion,” “gainloss” and “algorithm,” “collage,” are highlighted. The display is reversed with black on white letters; some phrases emerge: “the entire position,” “endemic battle collage head basic for…” Streams of cryptic phrases and words appear and reappear, inviting analysis and suggesting intrigue. The irritating buzzing continues. Then each word, one after another, disappears, until finally one word alone remains: “havoc.” The screen goes blank and letters begin again, white on black, in double spaced streams like couplets. New messages appear: “sudden window” “window sudden” shaped into a larger letter A. The tempo picks up with intermittent buzzing and beeping, suggesting heightened urgency. Finally an alarm is set off with a Notice, warning that these programs will repeat themselves (not true) unless the viewer actively intervenes and stops them. This final message suggests the need for a behavioral change.
The work or poem suggests overarching military secrecy and intrigue---continuous and covert---and targeting as well. It’s a moralizing work, challenging readers/viewers to demand change. In reading this I think of Edward Snowden and other “leakers” who were prompted by moral outrage to disclose government secrets and effectively invite our democracy to become actively involved in these activities. This is certainly a modern, relevant message.
The work is done with a retro-look, suggesting the 1980’s, a period of the unprecedented military build-up of the Ronald Reagan era. That may be the inspiring event or development.
Questions: Is this a poem???? Does it resonate as such?
Agency: Is there really no agency as this art-form would suggest? Or is it really saying the viewer has the agency to change the world?